Border Collies are great family dogs that are known for their charismatic, energetic personalities. If you love to play fetch and partake in outdoor activities, this is the perfect breed for you. Before buying a Collie it’s best to make a list of grooming tools for weekly maintenance.
Otherwise, you may find that your home easily becomes riddled with dander and hair. Border Collies are double-coated dogs, and their coats can be smooth or rough. So, to help you find the best grooming tool for your Collie, we’ve gathered a handful of them for you to check out below along with reviews of each one.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024
Image | Product | Details | ||
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Best Overall | DakPets Furblaster De-shedding Brush |
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Best Value | Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush |
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Premium Choice | FURminator Undercoat De-shedding Brush |
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Best for Puppies | CRBN Double-Sided Dog Brush |
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MalsiPree Pet Groomer |
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The 10 Best Brushes for Border Collies
1. DakPets De-shedding Pet Brush – Best Overall
The best overall brush for Border Collies is the DakPets Pet Brush. This tool can be used on small and large dogs with short fur or long hair. It is also suitable for double- or single-coated dogs. The rubber handle on this brush is non-slip and ergonomically designed to be comfortable. The button at the top of the brush releases the stainless-steel comb from the end.
Pet experts developed this brush to reduce dog shedding by as much as 90%. It uses a 4-inch stainless steel comb that is non-irritating to remove loose fur. It comes with a replacement or refund policy for any reason within 60 days. The downside is that the brush can be hard to clean.
2. Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush – Best Value
This Hertzko brush is great because it removes dead hair and spreads the natural oils throughout your dog’s coat. This can result in a healthier and more attractive coat, which sheds less. The Hertzko Slicker Brush has a comfortable, anti-slip handle with fine bent wires.
These wires penetrate deeply into the coat of your dog to remove any loose hairs without irritating the skin. It doesn’t just remove hair from the dog’s undercoat. It can also remove mats, knots, and tangles even from the thickest-haired dogs. The downside is that this brush may cause irritation for dogs with sensitive skin.
3. FURminator De-shedding Brush – Premium Choice
Here’s a trusted brand in the pet grooming industry. This brush has received tons of excellent reviews from pet owners around the world who use it regularly for their pups. It’s a good de-shedding tool for long-haired and short-haired dogs. The FURminator de-shedding tool is very simple to use. It does the job quickly and is easy to use with its ergonomic design. We also think it’s the best brush for Border Collies for the money.
The stainless-steel edge can reach down to the undercoat and remove as much as 80-90% of loose hair. It does this without causing irritation to your dog’s skin. This is due to the gentle curve of the stainless-steel blade, the edge protector that prevents digging into your pup’s skin. They have 6 sizes available to suit different sizes and types of dogs. The downside is that this brush may not be the best choice for dogs with sensitive skin.
4. CRBN Double-Sided Dog Brush – Best for Puppies
The CRBN Double-Sided Dog Brush is great for grooming Collie puppies that may not have long coats yet. The brush features a bamboo handle and two brushes. Though not effective at reaching into thicker or longer hairs as a de-shedding tool, it can be used to finish off grooming sessions and is beneficial for overall coat health.
Brushing your dog with a bristle brush can lead to a healthier coat and less shedding by helping to massage their skin and spread natural oils. It’s a good brush for both short-haired dogs as well as dogs with one coat. The downside is that this brush will be ineffective once your Collie’s hair grows longer, and it may be hard to clean.
5. MalsiPree Pet Groomer
This easy-to-use brush has a nice non-slip handle that is comfortable and easy to grip. This tool can easily cut through stubborn mats and knots and has a convenient de-shedding comb on one side. This makes it the perfect 2-in-1 tool for de-shedding and general dog grooming.
It’s also an excellent solution for those with thicker, more prone to matting coats. It comes in two sizes, small and large, and is available in three colors. This tool is an excellent solution for dog owners with breeds that tend to have thicker, heavier coats. The downside is that this brush is not designed for short-haired dogs, which you don’t have to worry about with a Collie, but you may not be able to use it effectively with other dog breeds.
6. GoPets De-matting Comb
The comb has a high-quality double-sided stainless-steel handle and a soft silicone handle. This handy brush tool is also suitable for double-coated dogs. The GoPets Dematting Comb works well with thicker and/or longer-haired breeds.
Its ability to cut through stubborn mats or tangles is what makes it so unique. The comb’s one side has a dozen teeth that can be used to cut through knots. The other side has multiple teeth that can be used to remove the finer hairs under the skin. The downside is that you may not need a brush like this if your dog’s hair isn’t matted.
7. SleekEZ Original Dog De-shedder
This de-shedding tool features a timber handle and a wave pattern blade, which removes as much as 95% of hair. It comes in three sizes and can be used to remove dead, loosened hairs quickly and without damaging the dog’s skin.
This tool can be purchased from a variety of online retailers and in most pet stores, and it’s much more affordable than many other dog shedding brushes on this list. It doesn’t work well with longer-haired breeds, unfortunately, and it isn’t effective at undercoat de-shedding. The downsides are that it may not be good for super long or thick coats and there are no protective edge guards on the corners of the brush.
8. Hartz Groomer’s Best Combo Dog Brush
Hartz Groomer’s brush is more of an everyday grooming tool. Combo brushes are not the best de-shedding tools on the list. It’s worth having a pin and bristle combo for a few reasons. This brush is best if your dog doesn’t shed a lot and you want to help it maintain a clean coat while also removing any loose fur.
The pin brush side of the Hartz combo brush is more appropriate for dogs with long hair. It can remove small mats and knots as well as tangles. The bristle side has dense nylon bristles. The other side is made of stainless-steel pins and safety tips. This dog brush is comfortable and ergonomically designed.
9. Safari Dual-Sided Shedding Tool
Here we have not a true brush, but a helpful de-shedding blade. The Safari de-shedding tool can be used as a simple, multi-purpose, and quality de-shedder. The blade has two sides, one side features finer edges and the other coarser edges.
This allows you to choose the side that is most suitable for your dog’s hair and level of shedding. It is best suited for medium-to-large breeds. It is not as effective at removing mats and tangles from thick-coated breeds. It’s also easy to clean and you can also unlatch the handles to cover a larger area with less effort.
10. Delomo Pet Glove
This affordable silicone glove is a great solution for dogs who have sensitive skin or can’t bear to be brushed. It has 255 soft bristles that gently massage your dog’s hair to get rid of unwanted fur. The glove sticks to your dog’s fur and is easy to wash after use. It comes in two colors, blue and red, and is one size fits all. This glove is great for dog owners who prefer to use their hands instead of brushes for de-shedding – something that can reduce wrist and forearm strain.
The downside is that the brush glove may not be effective at removing mats and tangles. It’s also not super easy to clean. But it is affordable if you need a budget-friendly option.
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Brush For Your Border Collie
You wouldn’t think Border Collies are terrible to keep up with in terms of grooming, but they can definitely surprise you! That, and some dogs simply have more dense or worse shedding fur. If you’re clueless about how to approach grooming your Border Collie, though, we’ve got you covered with our comprehensive buyer’s guide just below. Scroll down for all the details you could ever need to know.
Type of Grooming Tool
There are a lot of dog grooming tools, and it’s easy to get confused about which one is best for which type of grooming, especially for Border Collies.
Types of Border Collie Grooming Tools:
Ease of Use
Grooming gloves are easy to use but require some finger dexterity to use well, while a slicker brush is easier to use all around and is often more effective at removing dead fur. The best brushes and other tools have ergonomic features to make them easier to use in the long term. You may only brush your dog once a week, but those small increments of time add up to a lot of wrist strain. Awkward user design makes for an awkward grooming experience. Another important consideration is the disabled, who benefit most from ergonomic features.
Detangling vs. Restoring Fur Shine
The two jobs you expect a brush to perform are detangling and restoring your Border Collie’s fur sheen. Soft-sided brushes do this by redistributing oils throughout your dog’s fur and skin, promoting blood circulation and healthy fur growth along the way. The other major job, detangling, is usually the most troublesome. Consider whether a brush or tool can only do one or both before committing to a product.
Durability
Ideally, you want a brush that will last a long time and not one that’ll break in a month or so, right? Plastic brushes can last a while with care, but robust metal rakes feel more solid and are likely to last through shedding season. Wood is a marvelous alternative that boasts both durability and longevity, but wood brushes may be a little pricier. You get what you pay for!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Border Collies shed a lot compared to other breeds?
Yes, rough and smooth-haired Border Collies both shed a lot compared to the average breed, ranking up there with the German Shepherd or Labrador Retriever. They shed moderately throughout the year and are typically manageable with a good brush, but in spring and fall, they can almost fill buckets with dead fur. This makes choosing the right grooming supplies imperative if you don’t want to spend a ton on them over time by buying shoddy brushes that break.
Should I shave my Border Collie?
No, it’s not necessary to shave a Border Collie or trim their fur like the Poodle needs haircuts to stay presentable. The fur also doesn’t grow back the same way again, potentially causing patchy coats. It’s best to just keep your Border Collie neatly groomed from week to week rather than trim the fur.
My Border Collie doesn’t tolerate grooming very well. What should I do?
Some dogs that weren’t acclimated to grooming as puppies will grow up with an aversion to brushes, and some dogs simply don’t like brushes at all. Grooming gloves can be a godsend by providing a more soothing brushing action that won’t remind your Collie of a brush. Over time, you can hold the brush in your other hand to slowly desensitize the sight of the brush.
Summary
There are a lot of great dog brushes on the market today, and many of them are very affordable. Finding the right brush or fur de-shedding tool can help you keep your dog’s dander in check and help maintain its coat and skin.
We like the DakPets Pet Brush for our best overall choice, followed by the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Brush as our best value option. The FURminator Undercoat De-shedding Brush is our premium choice. No matter which brush you choose, we hope these reviews helped to make your decision easier.
- See also: Best Dog Brushes for Golden Retrievers
Featured Image Credit: antoniodiaz, Shutterstock